LOHOGAD CAVES
18.766700,73.366700
Description
A grimacing rock lion guards the entrance to two man-made »artificial caves« (possibly identical with the –>Lonavla Undergrounds), which are excavated near the entrance to Lohogad Fort on the top of »Bor Pass« (note 1). SITUATION: In the hills above the –>Bhaja caves are a »couple of derelict, but atmospheric old forts --Lohagad Fort … and Visapur Fort« (LONELY PLANET, India 1997: 841). »From the Bhaja Caves you'll see the ruins of the Lohagad and Visapur Forts in the distance« (LONELY PLANET, India 2005: 746). DESCRIPTION: »… le fort de Lohogad, près de Lonavla, dans la montagnes des Ghats. … deux caves profondes don't l'entrée est gardée par un singe de pierre grimaçent« (BROSSET 1961: 428). CULTURAL HISTORY: IMPERIAL GAZETTEER (1907-1909, 16: 170) identifies Lohogad with »the Olochoera [Olochoera] of Ptolemy.« CAVE LIFE - bats (Chiroptera): BROSSET (1962c: 596) reports to have collected in one March (1960?) a number of 14 pregnant female Rhinolophus rouxi Temminck 1835 out of a colony of estimated 300 to 400 at Lohogad fort »in two artificial caves excavated in the rock, at the entrance of the fort.« BROSSET (1962c: 602 table) observed in one March (1960?) an estimated number of 300 to 400 individuals of Rhinolophus lepidus Blyth 1844 at Lohogad Fort in »two artificial caves excavated in the rock, at the base of the walls of the fort.«
NOTE 1: Borghat (Bhore Ghat, Bhor Ghat N18°46': E073°22'), "ghat" (pass) named after the »bor, a thorny tree producing a fruit like a small plum, Zizyphus jujuba« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: vii) or »ber, a thorny shrub bearing a small fruit like a plum, Botanically: Zizyphus jujuba« (IMPERIAL GAZETTEER 1907-1909, 25: vi).
Caves nearby
| Distance (km) | Name | Length (m) | Depth (m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | KHANDALA RAILWAY TUNNEL | ||
| 0.0 | KHANDALA SUBTERRANEAN PALACE | ||
| 0.0 | KHANDALA PIPE TUNNEL | ||
| 5.6 | BHAJA CAVE | ||
| 5.6 | LONAVLA UNDERGROUND | ||
| 5.6 | TUNNEL, Lonavla (Sarkar et al. 1998) (aa -) | ||
| 5.6 | KANHUR PATHAR CAVE | ||
| 6.6 | KONDANE CAVES | ||
| 10.7 | KARLA (Cave at) |